Croatian street food chain Koykan expands into Germany

(Photo: Koykan)

Croatian street food chain Koykan has entered the German market with the opening of its first restaurant in Munich, marking a significant step in the company’s European expansion plans.

The new restaurant has opened at the PEP shopping centre, one of Bavaria’s busiest retail destinations.

According to the company, the launch attracted strong customer interest, with queues forming on opening day. By its second week of trading, the Munich restaurant had become the highest-performing location across the Koykan group in terms of turnover.

The successful opening has also generated interest from other shopping centres in Germany, while discussions are under way with potential franchise partners in Western Europe, including Austria and the United Kingdom.

The company says it is also continuing to expand its franchise network in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany.

The move into Germany represents Koykan’s first expansion into Western Europe. The project is being developed in partnership with local company Xela Investment, with plans for 10 locations across the DACH region in an investment valued at around €5 million.

(Photo: Koykan)

Alongside its international growth, Koykan is continuing to expand closer to home, with new restaurants planned in Zagreb, Rijeka, Brno and Ljubljana.

Founded four years ago, Koykan now operates nine restaurants across Croatia, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The company says it is only the second Croatian restaurant franchise, after Surf’n’Fries, to operate simultaneously in four countries.

Koykan also describes itself as Croatia’s first restaurant franchise operating under a full franchise model, managing its brand, supply chain, technology, IT systems, equipment production and real-time monitoring of franchise performance through integrated digital systems.

(Photo: Koykan)

“Our aim is to build a model capable of competing with established international food brands, first across the European Union and then beyond,” said CEO Boro Milivojević.

The company’s European expansion is being partly financed through development bonds backed by Croatian investors. According to Koykan, the funds are being used exclusively to support the brand’s international growth.

(Photo: Koykan)

Looking ahead, Koykan aims to build a network of more than 100 restaurants by 2030 through a combination of company-owned outlets and franchise partnerships.